Despite the supposedly superficial humour relevant to various threads on the message board, I have to confess that, as a genuine supporter from the other side of the Atlantic for the U.S.A., I'm alarmed at some of the isolationist views expressed.

The U.S.A. is, we know, the mightiest nation that the planet has ever known but that responsibilility demands wisdom & suitable leaders to go with it.

My concern, I am compelled to advise as a true friend, & which is shared by many here in Europe at the present time, is whether you are really bothered whether you currently possess either!

The ordinary Iraqi, Northern Korean, Iranian, Somalian, etc, actually despise & suffer under their leaders & their fanatical supporters & look forward to their day of liberation, not annihilation, by the U.S.A. & her allies.

The future of the world is in your hands. Please, use your power sagely!

PUEROS

pueros wrote: Thu Feb 21, 2002 3:30 pm The future of the world is in your hands. Please, use your power sagely!

PUEROS

Alas, right now the future of the world is in the hands of a USA President not elected by popular vote. I assure you that there are MANY Americans who do not approve of what Bush has done, is doing, and plans to do; just as there are many Amewricans who do. Those of us who care write to our three Congress critters expressing our views and what we would like to have changed. The entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate will be voted on this November.

Having said that, I will admit that my last letters to my three Congress critters was not about foreign policy, but about funding for research into eunuchs' and post-menopausal womens' health issues.

Pueros writes ..

pueros wrote: Thu Feb 21, 2002 3:30 pm . The U.S.A. is, we know, the mightiest nation that the planet has ever known but that responsibilility demands wisdom & suitabl

Andrew (imported) wrote: Thu Feb 21, 2002 4:15 pm e leaders to go with it.

Andrew writes ... Alas, right now the future of the world is in the hands of a USA President not elected by popular vote. I assure you that there are MANY Americans who do not approve of what Bush has done,

is doing, and plans to do; just as there are many Americans who do.

This wasn't what I had in mind for my 1000th post, but here goes anyway!

Yes, the USA is the mightiest nation, perhaps to date in history - however ... the legends of Atlantis and some of the theories on the ancient Egyptians and South/Central American Natives are very intriguing. As well as is the story of some lost city being buried under the ice of Antarctica. And guess what? Those cultures are gone. Even the Roman and Byzantine Empires, who thought themselves the very apex of culture and wisdom for so long, eventually fell.

Recall from the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament (there's the eunuch for ya's!) that he saw a vision of a mighty statue, and interpreted it as the fall of many Nations and Leaders. He also mentions the Great Tree that feeds the World, in whose shade the beasts and man come to feed and rest ... I forget where it is, but it's in there. At the end of the chapter, the Angel cuts the tree down and great is its fall. Some interpret this as the fall of yet another mighty Nation - the USA? Who knows? I don't.

Hello, Jesus, what's your take on this verse?

The events of September 11th, 2001 were and still are a harsh wake-up call to this nation and most of its more educated and sensible citizens. (And there aren't many of those, trust me ...)

As far as using this might wisely, well, about all there is to say about that is that GW hasn't gone in like General Sherman and burned Afghanistan to the ground like Atlanta during the Civil War! We're even dropping spam on them and trying to miss the citizens when we shoot ... so we're told. Do you trust the media? I don't. Not after Watergate, Gulf War Syndrome, Agent Orange, Iran-Contra, and God-only-knows what else.

As for GW not being elected by popular vote, well, I will admit to the public who does not already know that I did not vote for him, I was pissed when he and his family 'bought' the Oval Office for him, and I don't like him. HOWEVER, I don't envy his job, and since I am not Ender Wiggen (fictional military genius boy, Orson Scott Card novel, Ender's Game), I can't say that I can do his job better. In fact, I know I couldn't. We could "what if" this to death for years, and the fact is that we'll never know what would have happened if Al Gore had gotten the Office. It's a moot point now, so we need to get over it. Do we have the suitable leader that Pueros mentions? I don't know. From what the media would have us believe, if the talking heads on the TV are delivering anything resembling the truth, then I'd have to say yes.

In the end, it all boils down to the true power of Hatred, which these days, is almost tangible. We hate our fellow man because of race, religion, creed, sex, color, sexual preference, financial/class status. You name it. We learn it as children, and we tease and fight. Later, as adults, we build weapons and go to war.

No wonder Nations fall.

The War Against Terrorism is just one aspect of a greater conflict that threatens the existence of our civilization. The outcome of this greater conflict will determine the future of the human species. Rather than call it a war of good versus evil, I prefer to call it a war between positive and negative forces. This war transcends national boundaries, political views, ethnicity, gender, and religious beliefs.

The human species is struggling for survival as we have for thousands of years. We are constantly striving to improve our medical knowledge, our technology, our science, our knowledge of human nature, and our basic understanding of the universe in a continuing effort to improve the quality of human life for future generations.

The people whose accomplishments serve to improve our civilization may be motivated by a thirst for knowledge, altruism, greed, or a hunger for power. Sometimes it is by mere accident.

We have many threats and challenges ahead of us as a species. Some of our advancements have had consequences that threaten our existence, such as pollution and the depletion of our natural resources. As a species, we continue to suffer from disease and mental illness. Conflicts between nations or coalitions of nations, motivated by political, financial, or religious goals, continue to threaten our survival.

Consider the resources being wasted on conflicts that could be applied to human advancement. The resources being expended by Saddam Hussein in his meglomaniacal effort to dominate his region of the world could be applied to cure disease or improve technology.

In a very simplistic way, I see this war as a race of positive forces against negative forces. Will the positive efforts by the human species make sufficient advancement to conquer the threats we face or will the negative forces prevail and doom our entire civilization?

So far, the struggle is confined to our planet and our species. Will we be able to compete for survival with other species from other planets and other solar systems at some point in our future?

One of my favorite quotes: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke.

at this Christmas eve i came over this old post, while i normally dont revive them, i am saddened here we are in 2007, fixing to be 2008, and we are still involved with this mess. We beat the Germans faster. We however wont commit the proper resources as General Powell and his fellow commanders said the 1st time, half a million men and women i believe, or we have reached some sort of corruptness in this endeavor, which i believe has happened and possibly was intentioned from the start when we let Bin Laden out of that pass shortly in the future of this post, and diverted our resources. Burned to the ground several cities we have now, wiped out so many people than we will admit from what the W.H.O. and the UN is accounting for, and we still have a few hundred thousand men and women, military and contractors to support them, away from home for this holiday. I pray for them, we finish soon, and they be home for the next Christmas.